"The strange fog has vanished, and the Pokémon Technical Institute has appeared, meow!"
"There must be lots of rare Pokémon inside, meow!"
Perched high in a tree, Meowth peered through a telescope, trembling with excitement.
"What's wrong with you two, meow?"
Hearing no usual dreamy response about the future from Jessie and James, Meowth turned and noticed their expressions were unusually grim.
"What's the matter, meow?"
Their faces showed a look he'd only ever seen when they were carsick.
"Are you two not feeling well?"
"No… just memories. Some very unpleasant memories."
"Too dark… it was too dark!" James burst into tears.
"You mean… you two were once students at this academy?"
Meowth suddenly realized.
"Yes. So maybe… we should call off this mission?" Jessie looked at Meowth seriously.
"What are you talking about, meow? We're villains! How could we back down just because this happens to be your alma mater?" Meowth snapped, frustrated.
"It's not like that, Meowth—ugh!" James gagged, holding his stomach.
"Pull yourselves together, meow! Even if it's not for the mission, don't you want to revisit your old school?" Meowth tried to rally them.
"Think of the wonderful campus life, meow! Morning runs always tripped up by Onix tunneling through, homework soaked by Poliwag and left drying on Psyduck's head, lunchboxes forever sticky with Snorlax's drool—"
"Don't you want to return to those beautiful memories, meow?!"
Meowth's voice rose from sentimental to impassioned, and fire kindled in Jessie and James's eyes… only it seemed more like fury.
"That suffocating life? Whoever wants it can have it!"
"Shut up, Meowth!"
*Thud!*
They kicked Meowth straight into the treetop.
"Let's go, Jessie. Another second here and I'm going to lose it."
"Me too—urgh!"
Supporting each other, Jessie and James staggered away from the Pokémon Technical Institute.
"Why, meow…? My speech was moving…"
Having never gone to school, Meowth assumed life inside was just like in storybooks.
Unwilling to give up, he lifted his telescope again—only to spot a familiar figure on the academy building.
"That researcher's here too!? Jessie, James, wait for me, meow!"
Terrified, Meowth scrambled to his feet, worried Natsume would suddenly appear behind him like a ghost.
"Achoo!"
Natsume rubbed his nose, thinking it must be the Pokémon back at Professor Oak's lab missing him.
On the third floor of a classroom building, Natsume leaned on the railing, wondering whether he should borrow the school's printer to make extra business cards.
He decided against it.
Better not dance in Dean Jim's minefield.
After some thought, Natsume told himself he was an honest man and ought to follow the rules.
Looking down, he spotted Ash and the others and started toward them.
But before he could descend, a figure blocked his way.
"You're Natsume, aren't you?" Giselle tilted her chin, her gaze full of pride as she stared at him.
"Excuse me, little one. Step aside." Natsume said, casually pushing her head to the side.
For a moment, the girl's expression froze, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Who are you calling little one?!" she snapped, tossing her student ID at him.
Natsume picked it up and took a look.
"You're still not graduated at your age?"
"If I'd graduated three years ago, I wouldn't have been able to wait for you!" Giselle suddenly realized her words carried another meaning and stopped mid-sentence.
"Hmph! What's wrong, founder of the Whip of the Academy? Don't tell me you're afraid of me, the fourth president?" She deliberately raised her voice.
"What's that supposed to be?" Natsume looked at her curiously.
"What do you mean, what's that?" She stared back at him, equally confused, their eyes locking.
"What is the Whip of the Academy? Who came up with that name? It sounds so tacky."
Natsume waved dismissively.
"…"
Thrown off by his reaction, she quickly pulled out a photo, comparing it to him over and over.
"It is you!" Finally, she pointed at Natsume, raising her voice:
"First president! As the fourth president of the Whip of the Academy, I challenge you!"
"Then at least tell me what this *Whip of the Academy* thing even is."
Natsume waved his hand again, looking down at her. He vaguely recalled the name.
"It's… um, it's…" She suddenly blushed, her voice faltering.
Natsume's gaze only grew more doubtful.
"It's!" She threw all hesitation aside, blurting out in a rush:
"When rotten theory textbooks dissolve in Gyarados's Hydro Pump, when the Pokéballs of cowards shatter beneath Tyranitar's Stone Edge—we are the steel forged in flames, the whip that smashes the greenhouse dome, driving the worms cowering in data sheets onto the battlefield of thunder and rain!"
When she finished, her head hung low, her face red as blood, her body trembling with embarrassment.
"Oh, that! I remember now. Three years ago, I founded a club here at your academy."
The memory came back to Natsume.
When he first visited the Pokémon Technical Institute, he immediately noticed a huge flaw in their teaching system.
The academy valued theory far too much, neglecting real battles.
And he understood why.
The students here were all children of wealthy families. If anything happened to them, the school wouldn't be able to take responsibility.
Over time, teaching had skewed so heavily toward theory it became almost pathological.
So Natsume casually founded a club called the **Whip of the Academy**.
ITS guiding principle was to *bully* other students—forcing them into Pokémon battles.
The club quickly attracted many students who longed for strong opponents.
He never imagined the casual club he created would gain official recognition and be passed down to a fourth generation.
The thought genuinely surprised him.
"So, you're the fourth president?" Natsume asked, then added with a sudden shift in tone:
"But seriously, how can you say something so cringe as your club creed out loud? Even I couldn't stand reading it back when I wrote it."
"…"
"It—it was your rule! You said every president had to memorize the creed by heart!"
Tears welled in the girl's eyes as she glared at him angrily.
She had faithfully remembered the creed, while the founder himself couldn't even recall the club's name!
"Yeah, that creed's way too chuunibyo. Not a good fit for a club."
Brock's voice suddenly chimed in from behind.
Turning around, Natsume realized Ash and the others had somehow gathered behind him.
All four of them were staring at him with curiosity.
Misty raised an eyebrow, teasing:
"Don't tell me you made it just to watch every new president embarrass themselves?"
"No way! Natsume isn't like that. He must have had a real reason. Right, Natsume?" Ash protested, then looked to him for confirmation.
"Well, you see…" Natsume scratched his head, beginning to explain.
He really did have a reason.
He'd been worried that after he left, the club might turn into a true bullying organization.
So he deliberately made the creed, the initiation rituals, and everything else ridiculously over-the-top.
After all—anyone that chuunibyo couldn't be too bad at heart.
And most importantly, they were easy to manipulate.
After Natsume's rough explanation, Ash and the others looked a little strange.
"Oh, no wonder those guys talked so weird," Joe recalled the tone of the people who had bullied him.
Brock stroked his chin.
"Yeah, it sounds unreliable, but somehow it's really effective."
"Ash, why do you look like you're holding it in? If something's on your mind, just say it," Misty noticed his conflicted expression.
"Oh, what does *chuunibyou* mean?" Ash asked curiously.
*Pika!* Pikachu raised his paw in agreement to ask.
Misty: "…"
Ash had heard the word before but never paid it any mind. When he heard Natsume tease Giselle with it, he thought it was an insult. But after Natsume explained, it almost sounded like a compliment. Still, everyone's reactions made it clear it wasn't exactly a compliment either.
"Ash, you can think of *chuunibyou* as a kind of alternative hot-blooded spirit," Brock said after a moment of thought.
"Oh, so that's it. Then why does everyone act like it's some weird word?"
Suddenly enlightened, Ash pulled out a Pokéball and aimed it at Giselle.
"Even if I know you mean well, I still want a chuunibyou-style battle with you!"
"Ugh, why'd you explain it to him!" Misty facepalmed as Ash immediately put it into practice.
"Go away." Giselle expressionlessly shoved Ash aside and walked straight up to Natsume.
"You can't play dumb anymore, First President." She swung a keychain with a Pokéball dangling from it.
Seeing her approach, Natsume figured he had to say something, so he gave her a thumbs up.
"Well done, kid."
Her expression froze. Her once-cold eyes turned razor sharp, like she could cut Natsume into pieces.
"I told you, I challenge you!" she said, glaring at him with unwavering determination.
"You can't beat me." Natsume waved dismissively.
Unless there was a huge level gap, his Rotom in Pokéball form was nearly unbeatable one-on-one. In a 6v6, though, he only had two Pokémon.
"You!" Giselle looked as though she had been deeply insulted, fury blazing in her eyes.
"I'll have you know I spent two years finishing the entire curriculum—graduated at fourteen, and by fifteen I had unified all of Academy's Whip!"
"Now!" Her gaze hardened as she pointed straight at Natsume.
"You're the last one left!"
Hands on hips, she stood stubbornly before him. After saying all that, surely she had proven herself qualified.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Natsume gave her another thumbs up.
A red flush streaked across her face so fast it seemed she might explode.
"Pfft!" Misty couldn't hold back her laughter. For some reason, seeing Giselle so angry didn't make her feel sympathetic at all—it just made her laugh inside.
"Don't laugh at her," Joe quickly jumped in to explain. "A junior student's strength is about equal to two Gym Badges, an intermediate equals four, and an advanced equals six."
His expression turned serious.
"For her to finish the entire curriculum in two years and defeat all of Academy's Whip, Giselle already has the strength to compete directly in the League!"
"What kind of nonsense ranking is that? I don't believe it," Ash scoffed.
"Exactly. Then what's the point of Gyms existing?" Brock nodded in agreement.
"Wait a second. That means you, Joe, as a junior student, actually have the strength of someone with two Gym Badges—just like Ash." Misty caught the loophole.
"Of course!" Joe said proudly, puffing out his chest.
"Then this system really doesn't hold much weight," Misty nodded seriously.
Joe: "…"
"Who dares challenge the Fourth President of Academy's Whip?!"
From not far away, several rough voices rang out.
Looking up, they saw over a dozen youths, each sporting some ridiculously exaggerated pompadour hairstyle.
"You want to challenge the Fourth President? Then get through my Flame Whip first!"
"With me, Steel Whip, standing here, who dares—! The First President has returned!!"
Some of the senior members recognized Natsume.
"What? That's the legendary First President!!"
The new members instantly stood at attention, their eyes toward Natsume turning respectful.
Rumor had it the First President was terrifying—whenever he appeared nearby, just a faint trace of his presence was enough to make every Pokémon in the forest tremble.
You can read more (around 50+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free at [https ://ravenarchives .com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.